Davide Pascolo: ‘Getting better and better'

Hey guys, I'm Davide Pascolo and I play for AX Armani Exchange Olimpia Milan. This is my second year in Milan and I keep discovering new things and appreciating every corner of this city. Having grown up in a town of 800 in the northern region of Friuli and having spent five years in another city, Trento, the change to Milan was a big deal for me, especially because of how fast everything is here.

Milan also has a lot of hidden, calm and quiet spots to go and relax by yourself to the point that sometimes it doesn't even seem like you're living in such a big metropolis. But what I really like about Milan is the cosmopolitan vibe that you feel when you're here; the city gives you the opportunity to get in touch with people from all over the world.

Being a professional basketball player allows me to experience that every day and it has helped me grow a lot on the court and as a person. Another thing that helped my growth is playing in the EuroLeague, because it allows me to play on legendary courts that I used to see on television when I was a kid and to travel around Europe on a regular basis and visit foreign cities.

Unfortunately, I missed much of the start of this season due to a knee injury and coming back has been a very long process. I'm still recovering, but I'm getting better and better. The desire to be at my best is very strong inside me, but I've learned to be patient and to respect what my body is telling me, no matter how long it takes to fully recover.

Last week was the first time that we won two games in a week and it actually felt very good even though I couldn't go to Valencia due to my recovery process. Against both Bamberg and Valencia, our defense was the key to making huge comebacks, taking the lead and winning the game.

This moment following the two wins could be the right time for us to gain confidence and take our season to the next step. We have to keep working the same way and to be able to be consistent both on the court and off to provide continuity to our performance. This next game against Olympiacos will be a good challenge for us to try and see where we are headed.

When I am not playing, I love to grab my bag and just travel, but doing it as a player is undoubtedly different because you need to get ready for a game and everything focuses on that. Despite that, I like to keep a memory from everywhere I go and I began to collect jerseys from local soccer teams when I find them. I'm an Udinese fan, the team from my hometown, but I also like Glasgow Celtic in Scotland. I'm very attached to former Udinese star Toto Di Natale's jersey. He was an old school striker who was very good at scoring. He gave me the jersey three years ago at the end of a game. Last year when we went to Madrid I bought the shirt of Real Madrid midfielder Isco. This year I was injured and didn't get a chance to go there, but next time I'll have to get one from Atletico Madrid just to be politically correct.

The secret to my collection is that I like to purchase jerseys that don't belong to stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo for Real or Messi for Barcelona. Instead, I like to pick a jersey belonging to an important player on a team who is not the best, even though I have a feeling that Isco could actually be the best this year. Would you like some more examples? Well, wait for my next trips and follow this blog, I might surprise you!